Colouring the Days

Yesterday I felt compelled to rush out and fill my house with blooms.  I don't usually spend too much on flowers, and will often pick up a little bunch of daffodils for a pound or so and be content to look at their sunny yellow heads.  But yesterday, overcome by a sudden need for colour, I went out and treated myself to a veritable armload of the things and plopped them in jam jars and vases around my house.

Candy pink tulips, indigo irises and a starburst posy of tiny, sweet scented narcissi.

I know it seems frivolous, but the satisfaction that these colourful visitors are bringing me is magnified and deep seated each time I see them.

Determined to make this a week of colour (to counteract the overcast behaviour of the weather) I also found myself some new threads...

Now I'm quite excited about these; you see I'm planning on making a necklace, but before I could start, I needed to unravel the rainbow skeins and instead of creating tiny balls from which to crochet from, I took inspiration from Pinterest here and did this:

 

Old style wooden pegs are the best thing ever for looking after your skeins of floss and embroidery threads.  I got very excited when I first saw that picture on Pinterest and was determined to do it myself.  

 

I shall share more about my necklace project with you soon!

In the meantime, we have been enjoying a snow laden weekend here...

Much fun was to be had out sledging, making snow angels and snowmen before retreating inside my Mum's cottage to be handed big steaming mugs of hot coffee and cookies.  I took mine outside, and went for a wander.  I do like how snow makes everything look so effortlessly beautiful.

  

 The seedheads looked particularly beautiful against the white snowy ground, and a recent vapour trail looked ever so much like a pretty garland against that bright, azure blue sky...

I must confess to liking being indoors at the moment though.  I like my cosy house and all it's homely corners and I'm slowly getting used to the fact that I have all this extra time on my hands now my Small is off being busy at school.  There are often too many hours in my day, but gradually I am fillling them with nice homely type things, such as tea drinking, crochet or like today, a spot of baking.  There is nothing more comforting to the soul than to have the aroma of baking in the house on a snowy day.

Todays bake was oaty cookies, enhanced with a generous scoop of chopped brazils and juicy sultanas.  I've already consumed three, and am tempted by a fourth...

On the arty front, I'm pootling about with my sketchbooks, contemplating a new painting and working on a couple of commissions here and there.  Here's one I recently finished, now safely in it's new home in Italy:

One last thing before I leave you (to dash into the kitchen to replenish my cookie plate) ~ a copy of Her Nashville came through the door just now.  Seeing it in 'real life' is all rather exciting I must say!

I hope you all have a lovely week, I'm so pleased you came to see me today!

Love Julia x x x

Tiny Crochet Inspiration

Hello!


I've decided that I am rapturously in love with tiny crochet.  Have you ever seen it?  It all began a few months ago when I also fell in deep throes of love with a little website that is known as Pinterest...oh my goodness, this place is the stuff of serious addiction, and it was on here that I got a glimpse of something that knocked my socks off, made me almost collapse with desire; that gave me a serious dose of the Wanties....and then a serious dose of the I Can Make It Myself's.

Pinterest, for those of you who are not yet familiar with it, is a place of many beautiful, virtual pin boards.  You can take pictures off the internet to create your own pinboards, or repin other peoples pins from their Pinterest boards.  If you decide to venture into this world of gorgeous, desirable things, then prepare to lose several hours of your life to it.  You will be hooked!


This is a link to my boards...you can see how much fun I've been having can't you!


Anyway, I digress...I was talking about Tiny Crochet.  And after being inspired by this here, and this here I got myself a teeny tiny crochet hook, and some very fine thread.


I confess to it being very tricksy to do, after spending most of my Crocheting Years using much bigger hooks and much thicker wool.  But I'm not giving up!
The downside of teeny hooks and teeny crochet thread is that it will obviously take a lot longer to make anything wearable than it would using DK yarn.  But...on the other hand the fragile, web like nature of the finished item is so utterly desirable then I figure it's worth the time and the effort.


So.  Another WIP begins.  Slowly.  Gradually.  


Meanwhile....

Seedheads & Boats is now available as an open edition signed and titled print!  You can find it in my gallery shop, just click here to go directly to the page and scroll down to the bottom of the page.


I have also just launched a special offer on my fine art cards; you can now buy 5 of your favourites for £10.00, saving £2.50 when buying individually.  You can click here to see this offer.


On the painting front I'm cracking on with my Christmas card design, but struggling to be Christmassy at this time of year.  It all seems so early (and I'm sure most of you will agree that it is) but at the same time it's necessary.  So snow and reindeer it is then!  Perhaps it will come together once I get my mitts on Michael Buble's new Christmas CD -  yes, I'm certain that will help as I'm rather partial to that twinkly eyed chap and his dreamy voice!


But back to Autumn...

...The nights are really drawing in fast now.  I am lighting little lanterns and tea lights of an evening.  I quite like this time of year, when we naturally retreat indoors; I love the wild weather when I can snuggle down and work on my Christmas Gifts ~ did I tell you how much I'm enjoying making my little hand embroidered lavender pillows?  You may remember this one, I shared it a few posts back:

I'm just about done with my second one too, which has a blue and white Cornish ware jug on it full of daisies.  It's such a gentle and relaxing pass time and I think I like it as much as I like my crocheting.  I look forward to the darker evenings when the little one is in bed, when I can get on with my Projects...and by the way, this project is almost done too!

I've really enjoyed working with that beautiful Andes yarn.  I'm going to have a bit left over too, and I'm wondering if it will stretch to make a pair of arm warmers...oh my word, I think I need to put the brakes on a bit with all these ideas and WIP's I've got on the go!!  Anyway, that's about it from me today - I send you mugs of spiced hot chocolate, golden forest walks, warm candle light and lots of love.  Thanks for visiting today,


Julia x x x